Martinez ‘Honored to Wear the Green and Gold’
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Linebacker Blake Martinez, who agree to a three-year contract with the New York Giants in free agency, big goodbye to the Green Bay Packers.
“I want to say thank you to Green Bay as a whole the @packers, the fans, and my teammates/coaches for giving me the opportunity to start and live out my dream of playing in the NFL!” Martinez said as part of a post on his Instagram account. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without your help and kindness throughout these last four years! I was so honored to wear the green and gold and will always have a place in my heart for Green Bay!”
Martinez agreed to a three-year deal worth $$30 million late Monday night. The Packers, having added veteran Christian Kirksey earlier in the day and with a desire to get faster in the middle, let him go without a fight.
For now, the loss of Martinez might get the Packers a fourth-round compensatory pick in the 2021 draft.
After leading the NFL in tackles in 2017 and ranking second in 2008, Martinez finished second in the league with a career-high 155 tackles in 2019. The coaches’ count was a record 201. He did it while playing the second half of the season with a broken hand. He added three sacks, five tackles for losses, one forced fumble and a key interception in the come-from-behind win at Detroit. Over the last four seasons, Martinez’s 512 tackles trails only Bobby Wagner’s 597. In the 2016 draft class, Martinez has 103 more tackles than anyone else.
